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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26305327">Green Bentos Filled With Sweets</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/HarkinTheDestroyer/pseuds/HarkinTheDestroyer'>HarkinTheDestroyer</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Naruto, Rurouni Kenshin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>BAMF Uchiha Itachi, Fluff, Good Uchiha Itachi, Mystery, Uchiha Itachi-centric</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 09:54:50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,016</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26305327</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/HarkinTheDestroyer/pseuds/HarkinTheDestroyer</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>For as long as Kenshin can remember green bentos have always appeared mysteriously in the night. (Not a romance fic)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>17</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Green Bentos Filled With Sweets</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>~Nine Years Before Battousai~</p><p>Shinta stared at the green bento with an unusual amount of trepidation. He had never been a particularly fierce child, always respectful and soft-spoken, often mistaken for a young girl rather than the boy he was. Days spent next to his mother as she tended the fields were some of his favorites, second only to time with his elder brothers. Before they had fallen ill, days had felt light and filled with a tangible sense of joy. It filled Shinta with a satisfaction he was too young to understand, the satisfaction that came with settling into a cherished retinue with loved ones.</p><p>He understood that the house had become only a depressing shade of its former glory as the family grew gradually more ill. The death of the eldest son did not help. As the shadows of the house grew more prominent, so did the sour stench of death and the overwhelming sorrow that came within. It was these feelings that currently kept the young red-heads curiosity at bay. The happy green box looked so out of place on the dusty floor, cheerfully unaware of the sadness lurking about. It was not something that would have belonged in their house even given normal circumstances.</p><p>There was a note folded neatly on top of the box. Shinta absent-mindedly glared at the ridiculous white washi. Whoever had brought the confounding bento should have known better. Such a low-class farming family such as his would obviously be unable to read. With an irate huff, Shinta plucked up the delicate note, watching with a morbid satisfaction as the washi was stained by the dirt caking his figures. The young boy was rather surprised to find that instead of nonsensical scribbles a goofy ink face was painted on the note. Intrigued, Shinta tucked the note into a fold of his close and picked up the box. Removing the delicate wooden cover, the child was startled to find the entire box filled with sweets.</p><p>Confusion filtered across his face at the sight of such rare and expensive treats. Who could have left this? Returning the cover to the lid, Shinta raced to find his family. After all, this was something that deserved to be shared with family.</p><p>~Eight Years Before Battousai~</p><p>Shinta awoke to a strange weight on his chest. Not particularly heavy and not particularly light. He assumed it was some sort of stray animal, perhaps it was another vulture. That had been a particularly terrifying experience. To wake one mourning and find a large and terrifying bird biting into his arm. Shinta had been unable to sleep for weeks after the incident. While he may have been short and scrawnier than the other slave children, it did not mean he was food or dead for that matter. Jolting up the redhead quickly swatted at whatever had made its home on his chest. Quickly rubbing the sleep out of his eyes he immediately became acquainted with a familiar light green.</p><p>Sucking in a breath of air, Shinta stared at the bento in amazement. It seemed as though the cheerful sweet box had seen fit to invade the miserable air of the slave caravan. The box was overturned and slightly dirty from its rough trip to the ground but seemed fine none the less. Picking it up with slightly shaking hands he shook his head in wonder. Who continued to bring this to him? Shinta wondered bitterly why they couldn’t take him away from the slave masters. He shook his head to dispel these dark thoughts. It was quite possible that going with whatever person who left the sweats could put him in a worse situation.</p><p>With a short yawn, Shinta retrieved the box and went to find Akane, Kasumi, and Sakura. Such a gift still deserved to be shared, even if they weren’t family.</p><p>~Five Years Before Battousai~</p><p>Ki sensing was a peculiar and strange art, a sixth sense all warriors naturally picked up over years of paranoia and battle. It could be both taught or even learned on one's own and like most skills some had a better aptitude for it than others. As his shishou had begrudgingly admitted, Kenshin seemed to have a natural gift for sensing auras.</p><p>
  <em>“Hmph. Wasn’t horrible for a baka deshi like you.” Hiko had grumbled.</em>
</p><p>Kenshin smiled fondly at the memory. It had been the closest thing to praise he had ever gotten from his narcissistic shishou. Tonight was a special night, the eve before June 20th, to be exact. Willing his expression to be stone, Kenshin attempted to focus. Every year on this specific night <em>somebody</em> would leave him a strange little bento filled with sweets. Tonight he decided to catch the person behind it. With his recent ki training, it would hopefully be child’s play to catch the assailant.</p><p>“What are you thinking about so hard baka deshi? It must be hard to think with that empty head on your shoulders.” Hiko observed over his cup of sake.</p><p>Kenshin didn’t even spare his arrogant shishou a glance. Tonight he needed to remain focused. There would be no fiery rebuts or angering distractions. He would observe the night and all its unsolved mysteries. Eventually, his silence was no longer amusing for Hiko and the hulking samurai returned to the depths of the shack. His red-haired pupil never joined him, awaiting the arrival of a mysterious stranger ever so patiently. It wasn’t until the sun had just barely begun to light that sky, did a sleep-deprived and incensed Kenshin finally decide to give up. Only when he turned did the innocent green bento finally show its face. The red-headed apprentice jumped several feet in the air with a startled yelp.</p><p>Let it never be said that Seijuro Hiko the XIII was a mourning person. When he awoke dangerously early due to his baka deshi’s startled yells, he was naturally irritated. Removing himself from the comfortable positions he had been in, he went to observe what could have frightened his deshi so. Turning a corner Hiko took in the sight of Kenshin pressing his back against a wall. The red-haired youngster was pointing at a green bento box with a look of undisguised terror. Grumbling he lumbered his way over to his spook apprentice.</p><p>“Baka deshi it’s a bento box.” He growled, annoyed at being woken up at such an early hour.</p><p>Kenshin stumbled over several words never breaking his staring contest with the box. Hiko took not that his baka deshi’s eyes seemed to have taken that weird amber sheen that happened when he was experiencing an extreme emotion. He also noticed it appeared the baka had decided to stay up the entire night.</p><p>“S-shishou! It fallows me! Every year! I don’t know who gives them to me! I want to catch who brought it by sensing ki, but it just randomly appeared behind me! I-I w-well, the sweets are… really good.” He finished lamely.</p><p>Hiko picked up the box, opened it, and sampled one of the sweets resting snugly inside. The Hiten Mitsurugi-Ryu master was intrigued. Someone had managed to sneak past <em>him </em>and that was no meager feat. The sweets were not poisoned either. Hiko ate another one. They were delicious. He walked away from his gapping pupil.</p><p>“Shishou those are <strong>mine</strong>!”</p><p>~Two Years Before Battousai~</p><p>Hiko sat prepared over his deshi’s sleeping form. This year he was finally going to catch the mysterious person who continued to gift Kenshin the harmless bentos filled with sweets. In the last three years, he had failed to catch the reverse burglar due to extenuating circumstances. Too much sake, an extremely insistent pottery merchant, and that time Kenshin went missing for a couple days after falling in the river. This year, however, his baka deshi was knocked out via some sake spiked in his food. Nothing was going to prevent him from catching this youkai-like fiend and making him make more sweets as the price for freedom.</p><p>Quite suddenly Hiko lifted his head, meeting the strange red eyes of the mysterious sweet maker. For a moment, the master swordsman could have sworn he was staring at the adult version of Kenshin. The man had the slight form of a woman, much like his pupil, and his hair was almost done in the same exact style. There were of course several inconsistencies. His hair was not red for one, instead it was a common black. He also had a much more angular face compared to his baka deshi. He looked to be slightly under 20 perhaps and wore the clothes common with ninja. A strange porcelain weasel mask, while pushed to the side of his head, was still firmly tied to his forehead.</p><p>Reaching into a bag, the ninja pulled two bentos free from the bag at his back. One was a happy green while the other was a mellow yellow. Hiko took it with an expressionless nod. Not a moment after he blinked was the shinobi gone, bento neatly set next to his pupil. Hiko smiled. Youkai, human, ninja, or even a ghost, he didn’t care. The man knew who to pay due to.</p><p>~Year One of Battousai~</p><p>The Battousai was acting strange, odd one might say. Needless to say, the members of the Ishin Shishi were grown unnerved by the Hitokiri’s behavior. It had begun the previous night. As always, the red-haired demon had returned to the inn after a night of gruesome escapades more alert and jumpy than usual. The inn owner, Okami, had always been rather close to the killer. She was motherly to almost all of her soldier boarders. With Himura though, she seemed to be especially smothering. Most assumed it was due to his young age and particularly <em>unpleasant </em>occupation.</p><p>When Okami finally located the Battousai that night she had taken one look at his nervous form and bellowed a laugh so loud it startled half the in. Kai had sworn the Battousai had practically jumped out of his skin when she did. Reluctantly, he had allowed her to drag him to a table and provide dinner. The boy had eaten it robotically. At this point in the night, he would have normally returned to his room to do… What did he even do in his free time? Well, instead the Battousai had sat as still as a statue for hours staring at the table as if it had wronged him in some fashion. Most had purged him from their minds and continued to drown their emotions in sake and good food. They didn’t entertain the thought that the Hitokiri would be remaining in that position for the remainder of the night.</p><p>Sure enough, the next morning the Battousai was still in the same position, staring at a lovely green bento instead of the table. Some theorized that it was from his lover, but that was quickly dismissed when they noticed the boiling anger in those terrifying golden eyes. Several bets and some moments later, Hiro, a young soldier, had been commissioned to question the Battousai. Carefully walking up to the red-haired warrior, his ears began to pick up a low muttering. Stealing his nerves Hiro spoke.</p><p>“Ano… Himura-san,” He started timidly, “Why are you so upset over a bento?”</p><p>The Battousai whirled around and grabbed his shoulders with startling ferocity. Hiro let out a startled yelp. The normally soft-spoken and calm man nowhere to be seen.</p><p>“You see it too! I thought I was going insane! I’ve been getting these since I was a kid and I don’t know who they're from! Shishou said he didn’t know but I know he knows! Last night I almost had them, but I blinked, and the bento had just appeared out of nowhere in front of me! I don’t think I fell asleep!” The Battousai rambled on.</p><p>After several moments, the man took a breath and Hiro took that as his opportunity to speak.</p><p>“Perhaps you should report this to Katsura-sama.” He suggested gently.</p><p>The Battousai nodded and was up the stairs in the blink of an eye. Nearly every pair of eyes stared after where the deranged Hitokiri had disappeared.</p><p>“I don’t know what he’s complaining about! These sweets are delicious!” Kai stated, ignoring everyone’s shock.</p><p>~Year Two of Battousai~</p><p>Tomoe stared at her husband with a look of utter astonishment. They were married now, a budding couple with plans for after the war. They would be nothing more than a small family hidden amongst many others. The Battousai had begun to disappear thanks to her gentle guidance and soon her revenge would be brought into fruition. To vanquish the Hikitoki whilst saving the lost soul of Himura Kenshin. Her beloved would be avenged, and her own feelings peacefully settled. Even with her careful prodding, Kenshin had never worn his heart unshielded.</p><p>As they had begun to spend more time together, more and more strange observations pilled up. Her husband was enigmatic when it came to his emotions, always pushing them aside for her. Tomoe found that he could have the oddest reactions to certain things, a quirk she found quite endearing. Still, it was not common that he let his emotions be seen easily. Today seemed to be different, because low and behold, the Hitokiri Battousai was laying dramatically on the floor like a scorned child. If not for the aura of complete despair that was coming off him in waves, she may have been tempted to laugh.</p><p>“H-husband?” She questioned, moving closer, “What is wrong?”</p><p>A green bento sat cheerily next to him; the lid carefully propped up against its side. The inside was home to a bountiful amount of sweets. Kenshin let out a pitiful whine that caused Tomoe to jump.</p><p>“There delicious…” He said miserably.</p><p> </p><p>Months later a lavender bento could be found at a single well-kept grave.</p><p>~Five Years After Battousai~</p><p>Kenshin smiled at the light green bento box that sat cheerfully on his lap. It was almost a relief that such a strange object remained constant throughout his wonderings. The wonderer found it humorous that no one knew where he ways nay for the strange phantom who had a skill for crafting sweets. Popping another dango ball in his mouth, Kenshin released a satisfied sigh. All those years spent complaining about whoever gave him such a wonderful gift. The sweets were truly delectable.</p><p>~Ten Years After Battousai~</p><p>Kenshin was almost sad when the bentos had stopped arriving once he hit Tokyo. He couldn’t help but mourn the loss of such amazing sweets. They had truly been a comfort during his wondering years. Food, on the road, was often hard to come by. The cheery bentos had often been a much-needed boost to get by. Inwardly, the wonderer worried about the mysterious and kind person that had taken it upon themselves to provide him with sweets for nearly two decades. Had they died? It was strange the bentos had stopped as suddenly as they had begun.</p><p>The redhead stared contemplatively into the sudsy washing water, clothes drifting fluidly through it. A strange feeling filtered through his chest, an odd feeling of grief. While the cheery boxes had not always been wanted, a moot point of frustration over the years to be more exact, they had been with him longer than his sword, longer than his shishou, even longer than both his wondering years and the revolution. He wondered if they had finally stopped because he was settled. Nestled into the Kamiya-Kasshin dojo with Megumi, Sano, Yahiko, and <em>Kaoru</em>. A small smile played at his lips as he felt her fiery ki approach.</p><p>“Kenshin! Hurry up! We’re going to miss Tae-chan and her friend if you take forever.” The assistant sword master yelled.</p><p>Kenshin smiled slightly and pulled the remaining gi from the soapy concoction. Hanging it to dry he quickly made his way to were his friends were waiting. Perhaps it was nice to be settled in at long last.</p><p> </p><p>Tae’s friend was a man perhaps a little older than Kenshin. His hair was long and dark, tied neatly in a low ponytail much like his own. His clothes were that of a backer, probably how he new Tae, and seemed to be covered in rice flour. The man's skin was pale and he appeared to be slightly underweight. His strange red eyes were clouded with what Kenshin recognized to be blindness. Kenshin had the oddest feeling that he had met the man was familiar in some way. As he finished his unprompted analysis of the man, he noticed unseeing eyes on him. The sparkled with an unguarded amusement.</p><p>“This is Itachi-san!” Tae introduced, “He runs a popular sweet shop in town called Konoha.”</p><p>The man bowed in greeting.</p><p>“It is a pleasure to meet you all face to face.” He stated formally.</p><p>With that Tae began leading them around town. Chatting animatedly about her friend and the partnership Konoha had with the Akabeko.</p><p>“You know Itachi is known throughout town as something of a matchmaker,” She explained, “His extraordinary intuition has brought many friends, families, and couples together.”</p><p>Kaoru and Megumi both seemed disturbingly interested in this latest revelation. Suddenly, the began to bombard the blind sweet maker with questions. Itachi chuckled softly. Reaching into the bag that had been present at his side for a while now. Carefully, he pulled out several oh so familiar cheery green bentos. Kenshin was too surprised to notice the rest of the group in similar states of shock.</p><p>“I do believe you are mistaken, Tae-san. I am no matchmaker.” He started handing each of them a green box, “I just give sweets to those who need them most.”</p><p>Kaoru sputtered as a box of sweets was placed in her hands, Sanosuke looked between his gift and the man in question with a contemplative expression, Megumi had tears leaking from her eyes, and Kenshin was too surprised to move. Yahiko somehow managed to sum up their thoughts with three simple words.</p><p>“That was <em>you</em>!” He exclaimed.</p><p>Itachi just winked at them with a knowing smile.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is the longest freaking one shot I have ever written... CORRECTIONS! This is the only one shot I have ever written! Ahahaha!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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